Not Again
by Bingley
Summary: JD gets into a car accident, and Elliot volunteers to take care of him when the hospital is forced to check him out from lack of space. But she never expected to feel those feelings again...
1. Prologue

Elliot made it a habit to watch the news in the morning.

It was a minor distraction before she had to head down to Sacred Heart Hospital, where she was guaranteed to have a stressful and uncomfortably emotional day. God, she was starting to hate that place; Kelso was really pushing her these days.

After sighing deeply, Elliot spilled some cereal in her bowl, and fixed herself on her couch, flipping on the television. "Hey, Keith! Wake up!" she called lazily behind her, and after hearing some reluctant grumbles, Elliot began to eat her breakfast, her eyes glued to the television.

The commercials ended, and the screen flashed to an elderly looking newscaster. "We have breaking news," he announced, shifting his papers and looking into the camera. "There was a crash near the North Hollywood area, involving a car identified as a Chrysler Pacifica and a scooter!" he marveled, shaking his head slightly. "The driver of the Chrysler was unharmed, but the scooter's owner is in critical condition. We have our own Tony Hickman on the scene!"

Elliot watched as they switched to a younger looking gentleman, with parted black hair. "Yes, that's right, Ethan," he said, and the camera shifted to the scene behind them, which included a severely dented car and a crushed blue scooter. "The driver is indeed safe, and she's going home this evening, but I'm sorry to say that the other was not so lucky." The camera zoomed up towards the driver of the scooter.

The bowl of cereal dropped on the floor, and the milk seeped everywhere. Elliot screamed.

Keith sprinted into the room, wearing merely a pair of boxers. "Elliot, what is it?" He finished putting on his scrubs and hurried to the terrified girl's side.

Starting to sob, Elliot pointed to the television.

On the television, a stretcher was being lifted into the ambulance.

And on that stretcher was John Dorian's bruised, unconcious body.


	2. The Visit

Elliot shoved open the doors of Sacred Heart and sprinted over to the nurses' station. "Carla, what happened to JD?" she demanded weakly, trying to catch her breath in the process.

"Relax, Elliot," Carla said firmly, gripping her shoulders. "JD just transferred here. He's on the third floor, and he's _not_ going to die. He's just pretty messed up right now."

Elliot rolled her eyes. Nice way to put it.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?" Carla asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No," Elliot lied. "…So how bad is it?"

"Mostly fractures and broken bones. He's in a coma, but Bambi's a tough kid. He'll probably wake up in a week, at the most."

Elliot shook her head and hurried into the nearest elevator.

- - - - -

She entered quietly, and was surprised to see Dr. Cox and Turk standing at the foot of JD's bed. Cox had his arms folded at the back of his head, his eyes intent on the sleeping boy. Turk, on the other hand, looked much more worried, the skin under his eyes baggy, and his whole figure strained.

Dr. Cox was the first to spot her. "C'mon in, Barbie," he said hoarsely.

Elliot stepped in the room and gulped. She didn't cry that easily, but the sight of her unconcious best friend covered in bandages and blood hit her. Hard.

"Oh god, JD..." she went to his bedside and ran her fingers through his hair. A tear slid down her cheek before she could stop it.

"Luckily the car didn't hit him that hard...mostly the scooter," Dr. Cox suddenly said, surprising Elliot. "I think he may have fallen off before it collided with him severely, so he's going to be okay...those are pretty bad injuries, though. He has a fracture on his left thigh, a broken arm, and that's about it."

"We tried to get him to come with us in the morning," Turk added hesitantly. "But he said that he had something to do. That's when he headed off on his scooter."

"But he'll be fine, Barbie," Dr. Cox said surely. "He may be a total female, but Charlotte is a pretty tough kid."

Elliot smiled as she stood. It was obvious that Dr. Cox was worried about him, too.

Even if he didn't want others to know it.

- - -

"Oh, Elliot, I thought you'd be in here," Carla's voice pierced the silence of the hospital room. Elliot snapped up from JD's face, her eyes darting towards her friend guiltily.

"Frick, I haven't been covering my shift!" she said frantically, looking at the clock on the wall.

Carla smiled. "Relax, I've covering for you," she said, and scooted another chair next to Elliot's. "You're taking this pretty hard, aren't you?" she asked gently, looking down at JD.

Elliot slumped in her seat, blowing the stray blonde hairs out of her face. "Yeah, it was awful when I saw the news. I mean, this guy's my best friend. He's always been there for me...well, he's been there for me _a lot_," she corrected herself, remembering his constant screw-ups. Carla smiled knowingly.

"Well, it's been tough for me too, y'know?" she stroked JD's mussed up hair fondly. "This happening right after Laverne's passing away...it's overwhelming."

Elliot nodded absentmindedly. "I just want him to wake up already."

"You need a break from this. Let's go get a coffee."

"Okay, I'll catch up in a second." Elliot watched Carla leave, and quickly bent down to give JD a kiss on his cheek. She grabbed her white coat from the chair and darted out, not noticing that JD's body had stirred slightly.


	3. Conversations

Three days passed, and Elliot found it difficult to continue her life without JD by her side. He was usually her source of entertainment throughout the day, although she didn't exactly praise him for his jokes. She did, however, go up to visit him frequently to whisper in his ear that she'd buy him a new pack of body butter and as many appletinis that he could drink if he would just wake up already. However, he didn't stir a bit. Elliot was astounded at how empty the hospital was without her best friend, even with Carla and Turk there.

One day, Elliot discovered Dr. Kelso and Carla arguing heatedly at the nurses' station. She hurried to find out what the commotion was.

"Oh good, Elliot, you're here," Carla huffed angrily, her curly hair seeming to expand. "Kelso wants to get rid of JD as soon as he wakes up-"

"Nurse Turkleton," Dr. Kelso interrupted her impatiently. "The hospital needs spare rooms, and I've been extremely generous to Dr. Dorian by letting him pay only half of his bill since he can't afford it. But Sacred Heart needs these new patients, and those new patients need **rooms**. We're lucky that we have this sudden burst of people."

"But sir," Elliot gulped as Kelso's vulture eyes landed on her. "JD is prone to have fevers and other smaller illnesses for a while, so wouldn't it be a little foolish to leave him alone at his apartment?"

Dr. Kelso raised his eyebrows. "Then you need to make a choice, because I stand on my decision." Carla remained on the sidelines, looking frazzled. "If one of you pays the rest of the bill, I'll be happy to let Dr. Dorian remain here."

Carla paled. She and Turk weren't exactly left with much money after birthing Isabella. She turned to Elliot. "Can you afford it, Elliot?"

Elliot, about to nod, stopped herself. A lightbulb flashed overhead and a smile spread over her face. "Yeah, but I have a better idea."

- - - - - - -

Two days later, JD woke up as expected. "Hey, buddy," he greeted weakly, his trademark goofy grin spread on his face. His arm was in a thick cast, as was his thigh. There were only traces of cuts on his forehead and limbs visible from his gown, so Elliot beamed, closing the door behind her. She immediately drew a chair by JD's side and bent over to give him a light kiss on his cheek.

"Here, I got you some Ferrero Rochers," Elliot dug into her bag and retrieved a box of wrapped chocolate. "I imagine that hospital fluid isn't that good tasting."

JD brightened. "Thanks, Elliot," he chuckled, the familiar throaty laugh heaven to Elliot's ears. "These're my favorites." He immediately opened the box and took one out. "So what happened? Turk told me that I was in a scooter accident."

"Mhm, unfortunately. A car hit you when you were riding Sasha in North Hollywood." Elliot observed as JD's eyes widened as he remembered the crash. "What were you doing there, anyway?"

"I was..." his voice faltered, and he put down his chocolate. "...nothing important."

Elliot leaned over so that they were face-to-face. "That answer just told me that it was something important. Tell me, JD, please?" She stuck out her lower lip and pouted.

JD smiled slightly, lifting his free arm and putting it around Elliot's shoulder. "You're really nosy, you know that?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Just tell me a hint and I'll stop."

A loud sigh. "Okay, it has to do with a girl. I'm not telling you anymore. It's long over, and I can't do anything about it."

"Were you visiting a girl and then you crashed before you reached her?" Elliot guessed, growing more interested.

"What happened to stopping?" JD asked heavily. "No more." He took back his arm, looking amused.

"Hmph." Reluctantly, Elliot remembered the more pressing matter. "Since there's a shortage of rooms, Kelso's gonna kick you out of the hospital tomorrow."

JD's answer was what she expected. "It's okay, because I'm gonna stay with you at your apartment until you're out of any danger."

"What?" JD looked blankly at her. "What about you working at the hospital? You can't do this."

"Kelso agreed to it," Elliot answered tiredly. "I really need a break from this place, and you need someone to watch over you. I can manage without working for a while with my extra money, and it's probably gonna take only a few weeks."

"But-"

"Don't argue. I'm doing this for you, whether you like it or not," Elliot smiled and pushed her bangs from her eyes. "I really need it, too."

JD's eyes softened. "Thanks, Elliot. You'd better get going. Your break's over." Elliot looked at the clock.

"Crap, you're right." She stood up and picked up her back. Pausing for a second, she looked down at JD and smiled softly. "You know, you seem way more serious when your hair's down?" 

"Y'think?" he grinned, feeling his hair with the free arm. Elliot turned to leave, but he stopped her. "Hey, Smelliot."

"Don't call me that," she faced him again, but wasn't able to stop the smile that spread on her lips. "What?"

"Not trying to sound corny, but thanks...for everything."


	4. Truth Revealed and Strange Feelings

**A/N** _Sorry guys. It's been a long time, and I've been in the longest writer's block. I still can't write comfortably, so I'm sorry if this chapter seems a bit iffy._

-

Of course, Dr. Kelso made sure that JD was out of his hospital before one more dime could escape from his safe.

"Ow," John Dorian winced as Turk lifted him off of his bed and onto a wheelchair. He shifted his arm uncomfortably, looking more worn out than Elliot had ever seen him."Thanks, Brown Bear. Come over after your shift's done."

"Can't, buddy," Turk patted his gelled hair affectionately. "Carla's making me spend time with Izzy tonight. I'll come over tomorrow."

"Damn baby. Shouldn't she be sleeping by then?"

"Izzy's an owl. Her idea of bedtime's four AM!"

"Damn owl baby."

Elliot shook her head slightly. Their idiotic conversations sometimes made her completely space out. "Let's go, JD. You have to teach me where your new apartment is." She grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and started pushing him out of the door. "See you later, Turk!"

"Take good care of Vanilla Bear. Cater to his every will!" Elliot rolled her eyes at JD's "wife" and gave him a half smile.

-

"Jesus, JD! Haven't you ever heard of trashcans?" Elliot grimaced as she flicked on the light. Sure, it was a nice apartment, but at that moment, it looked like a war site. Coke cans lounged on every countertop in the room, stained napkins and paper plates still sat on the coffee table, beds were unmade, dirty dishes were piled in the sink, crumbs littered the floor...oh God.

"Sorry, Elliot," JD grinned sheepishly, wheeling himself in. "I'm kind of used to Carla cleaning up after me and Turk."

Elliot put her hand to her forehead and sighed deeply. "Well, I'm not going to be your Carla for the next two weeks. Do you have any Hefty bags?"

"Yeah." He moved to the sink and groped around in the cabinet. He produced a large black bag and handed it to her expectantly.

"What are you giving it to me for? Clean everything up."

"_Elliot_," he pouted.

"Elliot nothing. I'm only making the bed. The rest's up to you, mister." She proceeded to the bed and pulled the large covers off.

JD looked at her for a moment. "What's the point of making the bed if I'm going to sleep in it tonight? And it's kind of hard picking up trash with one hand and a wheelchair."

"That's how slobs think...and just throw that crap in!" Elliot replied exasperatedly. "I swear, one day you're just going to drown in your own trash here."

"Smelliot's cranky."

"Am not. You're such a baby sometimes." Her voice increased in octave, which always happened when she got upset.

JD chuckled, knowing plainly that Elliot was getting annoyed, which was great fun. He backed off, deciding to stop acting like a little boy teasing a girl, and started piling trash awkwardly into the bag.

-

The next day, Elliot was all moved in. She had called Keith to bring over a suitcase with her clothes inside, and reminded him to take care of the house for the next few weeks. "I'll come over soon."

"Have fun, babe."

Elliot pecked him on the lips and lugged the suitcase into the room. She heard the door click as it closed.

-

8 PM. The day had gone on fabulously for Elliot. No Kelso, no reports, no worries. All she had done was watch an hour of Grey's Anatomy with JD in the afternoon, take a long bath (which she fell asleep during), and just talked about nothing with her best guy friend. _She missed this_, she had realized during their conversations about the new Subway commercial and the upcoming summer movies. She examined JD's face while he went on about how horrible the new Jack Black movie looked. His face looked so serious; his forehead was creased and his hand waved in front of him, which was what he always did when he was in an argument. But that bruise! Elliot frowned as her eyes rested on the several purple blemishes travelling down the side of his face.

"Elliot, are you okay?"

Crap. "I think that panda movie might be funny."

That made JD start another rant, and Elliot smiled.

"Hey, you want to watch a chick flick before sleeping?" she suggested. "The Wedding Singer?"

JD never objected to romantic comedies, so Elliot helped JD plop onto the sofa and set the disc into the DVD player. She turned off the lamp so the room was in comforting darkness other than the glow of the television. So the fluffy plot began, and as the movie dragged on, Elliot didn't notice that JD had fallen asleep. She glanced down and saw that his head was awkwardly resting on the sofa's arm. "JD, you never fall asleep during Drew Barrymore movies. Are you that tired?" she examined him more closely, putting her palm to his forehead.

It was burning.

"JD, wake up. You have a fever!" He didn't respond, other than a few small moans. Elliot had expected this; he was extremely prone to illnesses in his condition. "Here, rest your head on my lap." She pulled him, and after flopping around like a large sack of potatoes, his head slid onto her thighs. She rested her dainty hands onto his forehead again, and his face's tension relaxed from the contact.

He looked so peaceful.

It reminded her of a few years ago when they were dating, when she would just hold his sleeping head and stroke his ungelled hair after he passed out on the bed. She ran her hands through his black hair now. It felt exactly the same, and she felt a wave of nostalgia hit her. She remembered when she would just bend down and kiss him softly on the lips. _No_. Elliot shook her head suddenly, her bangs spreading oddly all over her forehead. _You can't be thinking like that again. That's over. You have a boyfriend, and you and JD...Just. Don't. Work._

"Elliot."

JD's eyes opened slightly and he looked directly at her. "I'll tell you what happened in North Hollywood."

"JD, don't talk now," Elliot whispered, removing her palms from his forehead. "You're sick."

"No, I suddenly feel like telling you," he said slowly. He closed his eyes tiredly. "You know the day that I crashed?" He felt Elliot's nod. "I was there because I was paying a visit to your favorite floral store."

Elliot was confused. "Wait...why?"

"I was going to buy some yellow tulips...your favorite...for you. It was the day I met you, the seventh year we've known each other."

"JD." A smile tugged at her face, and suddenly she felt breathless. "That's so sweet. Even I didn't remember that." JD opened his eyes again for a second and gave her a soft smile. She bent down and gave him a peck on his bruise, surprising both herself and JD. He relaxed and closed his eyes again. In a few minutes, she felt his breathing even out, and knew that he had fallen asleep.

The soft, romantic glow of the television wasn't helping. She watched as Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore closed into a passionate kiss. _Stop it. Stop it._ She reluctantly looked down onto JD's face and absentmindedly stroked the bruise on his cheek.

_You can't do this again, Elliot. You just can't. You have Keith. You and JD have never worked as a couple. You will never work as a couple. JD has dumped your ass before, and he's going to do it again._

Somehow, these thoughts blended together and trickled out of Elliot's mind. She just continued to stroke JD's bruises in that position until she could see the sky turning a faint orange.

That's when she slept.


	5. The Outburst

**A/N**: Extremely fluffy/corny chapter ahead. The plot will develop more after this.

-

Elliot awoke with a horrible case of morning drowsiness. Her eyes wouldn't open more than halfway and her head felt like somebody was pressing down on it. She let out an involuntary grumble and, eyes squinted, suddenly realized that she had a heavy pressure on her thighs. She forced herself to open her eyes and reflexively jumped in surprise.

JD went crashing to the floor.

"Oh shit," Elliot cursed. At least she felt somewhat awake now. JD, always a light sleeper, groaned loudly. He opened one eye and gave her a wounded look.

Elliot couldn't help it. She started to laugh loudly, the distinct belly laugh that always involved her snorting. Her dropping JD and his face expression were too much for her to keep a straight face. "Sorry, JD," she gasped, restraining herself. "I forgot where I was when I woke up."

"Glad to hear it." JD was still sprawled on the carpet, his broken arm and leg lying there stiffly. He attempted to sit up, but immediately dropped like a stone back to the ground. "My head hurts like a bitch."

"Here." She tossed him a cushion on the way to the kitchen. "I'll get you some painkillers. Do you want some for your arm and leg?"

"Sí, por favor."

She could feel his eyes still on her. She tried hard not to show any signs of being flustered.

"So how well did I seduce you last night?"

Elliot spun around in alarm and saw that JD had his usual stupid grin plastered on his face. He was kidding. "About the scooter incident?" she asked breezily.

"Yeah."

She reached for the painkillers. "I still think it was amazingly sweet...for you, the king of insensitivity."

"Aww, Elliot. You hurt my feelings." The dumb grin returned and she watched him swing his legs onto the couch, giving him a comical upside-down look. "You were nearly in tears."

"I was not," she shot back indignantly.

"I saw your eyes get all shiny...and I felt your breathing grow uneven when I told you," he replied smugly. "I could feel it so distinctly."

Suddenly, Elliot threw back her head in frustration. "Maybe I did because you would have most likely gotten killed for my sake!" She felt her eyes widen. The outburst had come out of nowhere. It was as if a demon had taken possession of her and screamed those words without her wanting to. She glanced reluctantly at JD and saw him staring at her in surprise, not moving a muscle.

She sighed. "JD...forget it, okay? I...I just had this nightmare after you told me last night and you died in it...and the guilt and suffering and all of that felt so real." She shook herself slightly and lifted the tray of water and medicine, cautiously making her way over to the couch.

JD still stared at her guiltily and started to lift himself onto the couch, not paying attention to his headache. Elliot suddenly felt exposed, as if she were naked. The tension in the room made her back stiffen in anticipation.

He spoke first. "I'm sorry, Elliot."

"You shouldn't be sorry," Elliot said at once. She looked at him and nervously brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "You were just doing this incredibly…sweet, sweet thing for me."

She felt his arm slide around her and firmly grasp along the side of her arm, which was what he always did when she was upset. Elliot got the familiar feeling of total security. She tilted her head and rested it on JD's shoulder. There wasn't any awkwardness about it. She just released all her tension and feeling his comforting arm still holding her, she sighed deeply.

"It's just that…" she started shakily, feeling unstable. She wasn't used to feeling like this. She was usually the strong female doctor who rarely showed her weaknesses. "…what would I have done without you?"

She felt his head turn in surprise and she met his eyes. She was surprised to see the doubt in his eyes. "Come on, JD. You're my best friend. When you were in the coma, the hospital felt so empty. You're one of the few people I can actually relate to, except the times when you totally desert me."

JD looked like he was about to say a snarky comment but thought better of it. "I was expecting you to be happy that you wouldn't have to put up with me," he said jokingly. "But you know what I was thinking the moment before I blacked out?"

"What?"

"For some reason, I thought, _I won't see Elliot again_. Even before Turk…before Carla…you popped up into my mind." He looked down at her and gave her a crooked smile, which looked so charming to her. Her mouth opened in surprise and she stared transfixed at him.

KEITH.

KEITH.

KEITH!

She cleared her throat stiffly and untangled herself from his arm. "Um…here's your pain killers." She handed him the tablets, growing pink as their hands brushed when he received them. "...and the water's…oh, here. I'm going to go out for a bit, so just lie down and sleep." She avoided his confused gaze as she grabbed her purse.

When did JD turn into this charming guy that she was so fricking attracted to?

_Maybe_, she thought guiltily, _he was like this the entire time_. She just didn't pay enough attention.

_It doesn't matter. I have Keith. He's amazing, too_. Elliot dug in her purse for her car keys._ You'll get over this. It's just a phase since you and obviously don't work according to your track record_, she tried to reassure herself. She swung open the door and shut it a little harder than she meant to.

She desperately needed a drink.


End file.
